Whim And Fancy
by teenage-dirtbag
Summary: AU. Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer are the hottest things on two feet. They can get anyone and anything they want, anytime. And they have. What left is there to want but each other?
1. An Easy Way To Break Somebody's Heart

**A/N: I thought it would be fun to create something AU-ish. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Lucas Scott** walked haughtily along the hallway. He was very aware that all eyes were on him, the girls giggling and whispering among themselves and the guys murmuring about his excellent performance at yesterday's game. He smiled, seeing the brunette he was looking for, removing books from her locker. He shut her locker door abruptly and kissed her on the lips, which caused her to drop her books. The girls stopped swooning and rolled their eyes, the guys snickered among themselves, turning around. 

"What?" Lucas asked when Brooke pushed him away, her eyes avoiding his. She bent down to pick up the fallen books and turned around without even saying goodbye.

"Baby," Lucas started, following her. "What's wrong?"

Brooke turned around, fuming. "What's wrong?" She asked through clenched teeth. She looked around, checking if anyone was still watching Lucas. "You mean you don't know?" She asked.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking, now would I?" He questioned, glancing at his watch. Arguments were boring. This was the start of one.

"What's wrong, Lucas," She said, her voice getting louder, and a few people turned to look. She dragged Lucas into an empty classroom, and banged the door shut.

"Well you should have said something if you were—"

Brooke noticed the mischievous gleam in Lucas' eye. "No, you sick pervert. I was talking about last night's party."

"What about it?" Lucas asked.

Brooke waited a few seconds for Lucas to recall last night's events. When he just kept silent, looking at her like an idiot, she sighed angrily. "Holly! You were making out with Holly last night, Lucas!" She screamed.

"Oh, that." He said, as if it was no big of a deal. "Come on, Brooke. Holly, she was nothing. I was drunk."

"You were drunk?" She asked, fuming with rage. "So, you were drunk that night you won the semi-finals, when I caught you making out with Amanda. And that time in the janitor's closet, when you were 'hiding' with Jane. Marissa, and the empty classroom. Gabrielle, and your car! How do you explain those?"

"You're my girlfriend. Isn't that enough?" He asked. Usually, girls would kill just to get a look from him.

"No?" She said. "Don't you understand the meaning of exclusivity?"

"Can't we just have fun?" Lucas asked, terribly tired of this conversation.

"I'm not looking for fun." She said, heading towards the door. "I'm looking for something real."

He knew this girl would cave in to that love crap eventually. "Fine, we're done." He said dismissively.

"You're breaking up with me?" She asked, surprised. Tears started to build up from her eyes. Lucas usually had fun breaking up with girls; he became kind of an expert on it since freshman year. This break-up though, didn't amuse him quite that much.

"Uh, yes?" He answered.

"Fine." Brooke said, her voice breaking. She ran out like mad towards the ladies room. Outside, the corridor was silent for a moment, but when Lucas emerged, they resumed normal activity. They were used to his messy break-ups. He shook his head, smiled his most charming smile, and headed towards the redhead who was giving him that you're-single-so-I'm-taking-you look.

"Hey Rachel." He said smoothly.

"Poor baby, it must have been hard with Brooke." She said, pouting.

"I think I need comforting." Lucas answered in mock sadness.

Rachel chuckled devilishly. "We can do that."

* * *

**Peyton Sawyer** walked down the hallway, completely oblivious to the stares of the people. She was listening to the new Interpol album on her iPod. The guys stared shamelessly at the beautiful blonde, her curls cascading on her bare shoulder, while the girls looked on enviously. She was smart, she was beautiful, she was popular and most of all, she was Lucas Scott's closest friend and the person most immune to his charms. She pressed pause on her iPod when she saw Brooke's back. 

"Brooke, you seen Lucas?" She asked. Brooke turned around. Her eyes were red and swollen; fresh tears were streaming from her eyes. Bevin was handing her tissues. Peyton understood immediately.

"Uh," She said awkwardly. "I'll find him myself." She walked briskly away, before Brooke can shout some venomous insult and endure the wrath of the hurting ex-girlfriend. She's been that road before, a couple of times, actually, and she never wanted to go back again.

"God," She muttered under her breath once Brooke was out of sight. She wanted to feel sorry for Lucas' girls, she really did, but all she could do was laugh at his ridiculous stories about them. She turned towards the tutorial center where she found Nathan, her boyfriend. Besides him, there was this other guy reading a huge encyclopedia, so she sat down beside him, and ignoring the string of problems he was answering, kissed him on the lips.

"Morning to you too." Nathan said, smiling.

"Peyton?" The encyclopedia guy asked. She looked at him. It was Jake, her _other_ boyfriend. She had this nasty habit of always having two.

"Oh, hi Jake." She said weakly.

"You're kissing another guy?" He asked, surprised. He put down the encyclopedia and stood up.

"Another guy?" Nathan asked, glancing at Peyton, and then turning his attention to Jake. "I'm _her_ boyfriend." Peyton backed her chair away slowly.

"That's impossible." Jake scoffed. "_I'm_ her boyfriend."

Nathan and Jake both eyed Peyton, and before they could say anything, she stood up. "So," She started, picking up her things. "We're breaking up." When the two guys gave her a confused look, she laughed weakly. "Uh, both of you." She then ran out of there, laughing. A few moments later, she bumped into Lucas, who had lip gloss stains in his neck.

"Can we go?" Peyton asked, laughing, while looking back. She grabbed Lucas and together, they ran out of the hallway and into the empty grounds.

"I've had one hell of a morning." She said, when she was sure no one was following them.

"I bet my morning can top yours." Lucas said. They sat down on one of the wooden benches, ignoring the principal's reminder to assemble in the hall for a talk.

"Jake and Nathan know." Peyton started, "About each other."

"I knew this would happen." Lucas said, laughing. "How?"

"Well, I walked into the tutorial center, right? There was no one there but Nathan and this other guy reading an encyclopedia. Jake never reads, except for food labels, so I assumed it was some other guy. So I kissed Nathan."

"And then it turns out that the encyclopedia guy was, indeed, Jake." Lucas continued, finishing her story.

"So I broke up with both of them." She said, and then started to laugh.

"How can you be so impassive towards this?" Lucas asked, trying to lecture her.

"Oh please. As if you gave a damn about any of your girlfriends." Peyton retorted. "Besides, this new guy Ryan's been giving me the eye. And he's hot."

"I gave a damn," Lucas said, defending him, though he knew his efforts were in vain. "Give a damn." He corrected.

"Then explain Brooke Davis crying." Peyton said.

"Oh, that." Lucas said, as if it was some trivial event. "She said she wanted something real."

"She said that?" Peyton asked in a mocking tone. "Okay, that is going on my list."

"Can you believe her? Anyway, as they say, when one door closes, another door opens." Lucas said, smiling.

"Who's this week's other door?" Peyton asked.

"Rachel Gattina." He said. Both of them gave a huge laugh. Peyton looked at her as if she was unimpressed.

"Come on, Gattina is like, the whore of the varsity teams." She said.

"Yeah, well, she's hot, and good in—"

"I don't want to hear it," Peyton said, interrupting him.

"Well, you get the idea." Lucas said.

"You know what," Peyton said, realizing something. "There's no one left for us here. I think we've dated every qualified person here."

"You went out with Tim?" Lucas said, sitting up in shock.

"I made out with him last year when I got wasted at Cassie's party." Peyton said, shrugging. "And he's qualified?"

"He's in the team." Lucas said.

"Well, apart from Felix, who moved away last year, we've dated every qualified person but," She thought for a moment, and they looked at each other in surprise when they drew the conclusion.

"But each other."

* * *

**Love it? Let me know. **


	2. Moving Targets

**A/N: I am overwhelmed with the reviews on my first chapter. A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! **

* * *

**Chapter Two: Moving Targets**

"Did we finish off the qualified student population in just four years?" Lucas asked. "Damn, we're good."

"You're not thinking." Peyton said, rolling her eyes. "Prom is coming up, and I intend to win that crown."

"I thought you were against all sorts of stereotypes and establishments? Cheerleader equals prom queen is one of them." Lucas questioned. Peyton wasn't your run of the mill cheerleader. Cheerleaders love pink, Peyton loves black. Cheerleaders listen to bubblegum pop and RnB ballads, Peyton listens to punk-rock-grunge-metal-rock songs in the form of old vinyl discs. Cheerleaders are brainless idiots, Peyton is in every AP Tree Hill offered. Cheerleaders read Cosmopolitan and Us Weekly, Peyton reads Edgar Allan Poe and Earnest Hemingway. The only thing the stereotype and Peyton have in common is the blonde hair, the beauty and the number of boys.

"It's a sort of, I'm a nonconformist so I intend to conform to non-conform sort of thing." Lucas just looked at her blankly. "It's like, being sarcastic."

"Oh." Lucas said, trying to understand what statement she was trying to make this time. They actually didn't have to make statements, people just sort of noticed and imitated.

"How about college guys?" Peyton mused. "I mean, they have this whole, untouchable thing going on."

"To get college guys, you have to go to poetry readings and frat parties." Lucas said. "Guys who go to poetry readings are nerds, frat parties are so out of control you can't ask anyone because they're all drunk or high. Trust me on this one, Peyt, you don't want to go there."

"How about you? You can't survive without a girl drooling over you. And the only ones left are the hopeless and the enraged." Peyton replied.

"I'll find one of my ex-girlfriends. Maybe one of them needs a date to the prom." Lucas answered. "I was thinking Trisha."

"Trisha has a restraining order against you." Peyton replied dully. She knew Lucas' history like the back of her hand.

"Abby?"

"Boyfriend."

"Camille?"

"Oh, Camille's the lesbian." Lucas grimaced, then grinned.

"How about I have two escorts? Camille, and her lesbian friend." Peyton read Lucas' thoughts and smacked him in the head.

"Dirty old man. Who's next?" She asked.

"Kim?"

"Still in love with you."

"Lauren?"

"Too clingy."

"Kristen?"

"Still wants to kill you."

"Sophia?"

"Will ask her brother who wrestles professionally to kick your ass if you go near her."

"Hilary?"

"Please, Luke."

"Who, then?"

Peyton sighed. "I told you, there is no one else." She looked at the rustling leaves and scanned faces in her head. One of the qualified people is bound to be single. She removed her gold Razr phone from her pocket and looked at the address book. It was filled with numbers of guys she met in bars, her prehistoric ex-boyfriends and a few of her female friends. She snapped it shut in frustration.

"It's not our fault if we're hot and desirable." Lucas said, pouting at Peyton. She slapped him with her free hand, and Lucas nearly fell off the bench. "Come on, we're not that dependent on relationships."

"Oh yeah?" Peyton challenged. "Have you lasted at least two days without a girlfriend?"

"When have you had only _one_ boyfriend?" Lucas answered back. Peyton saw the point of the argument. She stood up and rummaged through her bag for keys.

"Look, the assembly's lasting for another hour. Buy me breakfast?" She asked sweetly. Usually guys would fall over themselves just for her to speak to them like that, but Lucas dismissed it with a scoff. Peyton pursed her lips together, which was quite a funny sight, and Lucas gave in, laughing.

"Fine, but I'm driving." Lucas said, grabbing the keys and heading into the parking lot.

* * *

The next few days were different. Now that the news that the most eligible bachelor and bachelorette were available, people would make sure that they noticed them. Some girls screamed for him whenever he would practice. They would give him bottles of water whenever they would see him break a sweat. His locker would be filled with pink, scented stationary with odes of love and passion. A few girls sneaked into the guys' locker room to flash him. Others would just randomly pull him into broom closets and try to make out with him.

The guys stalked Peyton everywhere she went. Whenever she would reach school guys would line up to park her car. The other guys carry her things. When they get to her locker, boxes of chocolates and stems of roses would be piled underneath, all with names and numbers of guys who wanted to woo her. Her eccentric AP Calculus classmate offered to do all of her homework until graduation if she had lunch with him. She would be surrounded with a swarm of guys whenever she would walk to the next class.

It was fun at first, but then later it got annoying. Peyton and Lucas decided to do something about this.

"We've been hiding here for two hours. Are they gone yet?" Peyton whined, fishing out a Godiva truffle and popping it into her mouth. Lucas grabbed another one and ate it.

"No." Lucas said, pressing his ear against the door. "I think they're waiting for us to come out."

Peyton let out a frustrated cry. "I don't care anymore. I am getting out of here, running to my car and hiding in my room until they find a new girl to obsess over." She stood up and reached for the doorknob.

"No!" Lucas said, pulling her down. "Look, it's an hour and a half before school is out. They're leaving. We just have to wait."

"We can't hide in broom closets forever, Luke." Peyton said, leaning against the wall.

Another hour passed. Lucas finished counting all of the maintenance materials in the closet and twice, the janitor knocked violently on the door, so they pretended to not be there so he could just think that he forgot his key. They were hungry, because they only had a few minutes of eating before people started approaching them. Peyton reached out for the last Godiva truffle and put it in between her teeth. Lucas looked at her, surprised.

"I was going to get that." Lucas remarked.

"Now you can't." Peyton replied. Lucas reached out his arm to grab the truffle from in between her teeth . Peyton moved to the corner of the room, covering her mouth with her hands while Lucas chased her on his knees. Finally he stumbled on to her and they both fell lying on the ground. Peyton was affected by the impact of the fall and Lucas' weight on her, so he took the opportunity to lean down and bite the other half from her mouth. At the same time, Peyton closed her mouth. Their lips met in a sort of strange kiss, with chocolate and cherry liqueur playing in their tongues.

When they finally pulled away, they gave each other a strange look, as if to ask what happened. Peyton checked her watch and found out that thirty minutes have passed. She stood up, smiled at Lucas and ran out the door. Lucas was left in the closet, still unsure of what happened and why it did.

Neither wanted to admit it to themselves, but that kiss was pretty damn good.

* * *

**Love it? Review!**


	3. New People, Old Techniques

**The reviews are amazing. Thanks to everyone!**

…

Peyton arrived late the next morning. Her convertible's hood was down, and she surreptitiously eyed anyone who walked along her car, thinking that someone might jump her from behind and force her to go with him to the dance. Gently, she turned off the ignition and grabbed her black schoolbag and the small bottle of pepper spray she just bought yesterday. She got out of the car and looked around. Everyone was inside.

Breathing with relief, she walked towards the school doors and opened them without taking a look inside. When she did, she suddenly realized the flurry of activity around her. Her breath was caught in her throat as several guys eyed her and started walking towards her. She looked around for anyone to save her—but all she could find were girls talking about her outfit for the day. Before she could turn around and make a mad dash for her car, an arm grabbed her and pulled her towards one of the empty classrooms. The door was shut and bolted before the person turned around to reveal himself.

"Hi," The boy said shyly. "I'm Chris Keller."

"Chris," Peyton said, smiling. "Thanks for getting me out of there. Those guys would have attacked me like a pack of rabid wolves."

"It's no problem." He replied. "I saw that 'I need to bail' look on your face."

"So, what's happening?" Peyton asked while observing Chris silently. He was tall and had an athlete's body, his honey-blond hair was in disarray, and he had a cute smile that could probably melt the cheerleading squad to mush. He had a small scar on his right cheek that was perfect in its imperfection. It belayed a mysterious history. Chris was still looking at her, and it took him a few seconds before he could reply.

"Oh. Uh, there's this assembly your principal wanted." She nodded her head in understanding. She also caught the way he described the principal.

"You're not from Tree Hill?" Peyton asked.

"Well, technically, I'm not. I'm an exchange student from St. Stephen's Preparatory School in New York." Chris answered. "My school wanted to try out your school's music program, so they sent me here."

"You're a musician?" Peyton said, praying that he wasn't one of those asthmatic band geeks. He didn't look like it, but he might be.

"Well," Chris said with a shy chuckle, "No, at least not yet. I play the guitar. And I sing."

"Excellent." Peyton said, as if she was screening him to join a reality contest. She was about to say something when Chris' phone rang noisily. He grabbed it and talked for a few seconds, sounding irritated at the distraction.

"Look, I need to go. But maybe we can have lunch later?" He asked, smiling hopefully.

"Of course." She responded, smiling coyly. She didn't know about Lucas, but she had found her next prospect. She extended her hand to him. "I'm Peyton."

"Peyton, it's a pleasure to have met you." He replied, kissing her hand. He then walked away briskly and closed the door behind him. Peyton decided to overlook this cheesiness. At least he was cute.

…

"Dammit, where are you Chris?" An auburn-haired girl swore as she paced around in fury, glancing at her watch every few seconds or so. Knowing her schoolmate, he probably found some girl to manipulate again, with his charming good looks and slick moves. Unbeknownst to her, someone was watching her from afar.

Lucas was observing the girl pacing around like mad. She was pretty, and he'd never seen her before. He walked towards her, breathing in, as he did when he approached girls before. The girl stopped in her tracks as she saw Lucas smiling at her.

"Can I help you with something?" Lucas said, his voice low and caressing.

"Um, yeah." The girl said, unfazed. "I'm looking for someone. Tall, athletic and blond? He has this scar on his face."

"Nope, haven't seen him." Lucas answered, confused as to why the girl wasn't reduced to giggles or incoherent sentences. "You're not from here, are you?"

"No, I'm not." She said, laughing. "I'm Haley James, student council president of St. Stephen's prep. Our headmaster requested that Chris be sent here for your music program. Unfortunately, I was the one sent to accompany him." She said with obvious distaste.

"I take it you don't like him?" Lucas asked.

"Chris? That's the understatement of the year." Haley replied, rolling her eyes. "He's this cocky asshole who thinks he's God's perfect gift to women." Lucas smiled weakly. That description was awfully familiar. "But he's very talented. Can't deny that."

A pretty geek. Lucas only dated one girl like this before. He had to be extra nice and super sweet just to woo her and make her believe that she wasn't the arrogant Lucas Scott everyone said he was. It took about two weeks before he tired of it. "Well, since you're new, how about I give you a tour?" He asked nicely, but still retaining his devilish charm. By the way Haley smiled, he sensed that it was working. She opened her mouth to say yes, but she saw Chris waving at her from afar.

"Shit." Haley cursed silently. "Um, I'd like that," She said, vexed at the interruption. "But maybe later?" She asked, smiling sweetly.

"Of course." Lucas said, smiling. "I'm Lucas, Lucas Scott."

"It's nice to have met you, Lucas." Haley said, and hesitated to walk out for a moment. She heard Chris say her name before she went to him, with Lucas mouthing 'It's going to be fine' as she left.

…

Hard RnB tunes boomed out of the speakers as half-drunk, half-naked boys and girls gyrated to the tune of the music. The manic obsession over Lucas and Peyton had died down over the past days. The arrival of the exchange students from New York brought about this so-called peace. Lucas and Peyton also never talked about the closet incident, in fact, they never talked at all. People would just see them give small smiles when they pass each other by the hallway, too preoccupied with their new prospects. It was another party at Rachel's beach house, just one of the random things she does to have an excuse to get drunk and have sex.

Peyton was moving her hips to the beat of the music, waiting for Chris to bring her a drink. She observed the people around her. She saw Nathan on the couch with a familiar brunette, looking drunk and wasted. She laughed, not feeling any sign of guilt.

"Gin and tonic for the lady," Chris said smoothly as he handed Peyton her drink.

"Thank you." She said, taking a sip. She put her arms around him and continued to dance to the beat. Chris just stood there, motionless. He took her hand and led her outside. "What's up?" She asked. He just continued on dragging her to the beach. A few meters away from the beach house she saw flaming letters on the sand. Four flaming letters, to be exact. Four flaming letters on very expensive vanilla candles. Peyton gasped and looked at Chris happily.

"I know I'm not from here, but since Haley and I will be staying for a while—"

"Yes!" She said, ecstatic. She then leaned in for a kiss.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Haley were sitting a on a swing, away from the party, talking. Lucas was bored. He wanted to get wasted and hook up with a bikini-clad girl hours ago. But he knew that if he wanted to get the girl, he'd have to make a little sacrifice.

"So then I said that Hamlet wasn't crazy, he was mentally incapacitated." She said, laughing. "Get it?"

"I had the exact same argument with my lit teacher. How freaky is that?" He lied.

"Gosh," She said, blushing. "I never thought that a guy like you read literature."

"I read," Lucas replied, sounding offended. "I just don't let other people know it."

"Why not?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"Well, I'm a basketball player. We don't read." Lucas answered jokingly.

"But you got into Princeton. Or does no one know about that?" Lucas remained silent. This was actually true. He told Peyton, but he decided to withhold that little piece of information, just in case she would think that Peyton was his girlfriend, or something. "Come on, Lucas!"

"Just," He said, trying to sound humble and embarrassed, a feat, even for him. "Let's not talk about it."

"Okay." She said, smiling. She shivered and held her arm, rubbing it up and down. "I'm cold."

Lucas looked at her and gently put his arm around her shoulder. Haley blushed a deep red. "Haley, close your eyes." Lucas whispered.

"Why?" She asked skeptically.

"Trust me." Lucas said in that personal way of his, that tone of voice that never failed to make girls fall head over heels in love with him. "Now open." He held in his had a red rose, the reddest and most perfect rose Haley has ever seen.

"Prom?" He asked.

"Of course!" Haley said breathlessly. Lucas metaphorically patted himself on the back. Now he has a date with the hot, intelligent chick from New York.

…

A few hours later, the party was still raging. Lucas watched as Haley mingled with some of his schoolmates. He grabbed a bottle of tequila and quietly went upstairs, not before Peyton seeing him.

"Luke!" She screamed. She was definitely tipsy.

"Peyt," He said, smiling. She saw the bottle of tequila he had in his arm.

"Let's take this upstairs, shall we?" She proposed with a devilish grin on her face. Both of them silently went up the stairs and found an empty room, locking it for privacy. Peyton sprawled down on the bed and Lucas took a sip from the bottle.

"It sucks playing Mr. Sensitive." Lucas said.

"Well obviously." Peyton said from the bed. "You're not drunk yet."

"At least I have a date for the prom," He told her.

"Congratulations to you!" Peyton shrieked, sitting up on the bed. "And congratulations to me too."

"The musician?" Lucas asked, taking a larger gulp this time.

"Bingo!" She said, disturbingly perky. Lucas was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. He lay down the bed beside Peyton.

"You know, that you lack another boyfriend right?" Lucas mused, looking at her.

"Yeah, I know." She sighed. "And your girlfriend hasn't kissed you yet."

"I know." He sighed mournfully. They lay on the bed for a few minutes, silent.

"I miss talking to you." She said, facing him. With an almost magnetic attraction, he moved his head towards hers and kissed her. Alcohol loosening their inhibitions, neither of them pulled back. His hand wandered her body as she struggled with the buttons on his shirt. The music continued to pound downstairs. This was going to be a long night.

…


	4. Old Habits Die Hard

**Again, a big thanks to all of those who reviewed. It sucks that OTH is on hiatus, right?**

Peyton stumbled out of the front door of Rachel's beach house. The warm and bright sunshine wasn't exactly helping with her hangover. The sickly scent of the ocean wafted with the cool morning breeze. Everything outside was perfect, meanwhile, she felt like crap. She squinted her eyes to get adjusted to the light.

"Rough night?" Rachel asked, suddenly appearing beside her, an all too knowing smirk plastered on her face.

"Shut up." Peyton grumbled. She held on to the wooden rails.

"I wouldn't drive in your condition." Rachel advised. She handed Peyton a couple of pills and a bottle of water. "Helps with the headache."

"You should know, right?" Peyton replied. Rachel frowned and Peyton smiled at her, an apologetic action for being such a grouch. "I'm sorry. It's just that," She shifted her feet and felt the coarse texture of the sand. "The sunlight sucks."

"It's always too bright." Rachel said, putting an arm around her. "Too bright."

…

Lucas felt like an invisible weight was put on top of his body. He couldn't bring himself to stand up. He opened his eyes, and the room came into focus. The curtains were shut but light was escaping from the small gap it made with the floor. He turned himself around and found that he was alone, and, naked. An empty bottle of tequila and his clothes were carelessly strewn in the corner. When he finally had enough strength to sit up, a pounding headache suddenly made its way into his head. Then, to make things worse, his phone rang. Noisily, at that.

"Hello?" Lucas mumbled into the mobile.

"Lucas? Hi!" Lucas tried to search his memory for the voice. Who was calling? "It's Haley?"

"Oh, hi! Haley!" Lucas said, redeeming himself. Haley…she was his prom date, right? He racked his brain for more information. The hangover wasn't helping. "Uh, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm excellent!" Silence. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask if maybe you would want to meet for breakfast? There's this little café I found last night." Lucas opened his mouth to say that it was a bad time but something in him said that he needed to impress the girl.

"Great! Okay. Um, what's the name of the café?" Lucas asked, standing up abruptly. The headache grew worse. He fell back on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Haley asked, hearing the thump.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stubbed my toe." He said.

"Karen's café? Have you heard of that?" Haley said.

"Actually, that's my mom's café." Lucas told her, trying to give the impression of a sweet, loving, humble son.

"Really? Well then that's good! So, I'll meet you there at, say, nine-ish?" Haley chirped into the phone. Her voice was kind of getting to Lucas.

"Great." Lucas replied, glancing at the wall clock. It was 8:30. "See you there, beautiful."

Usual giggle. "Bye." She said, and hung up.

…

Lucas ran down the stairs like mad, ignoring his painful headache. The light from the windows surprised him and made him stop running. When he opened his eyes, he saw Rachel offering him a bottle of water and some pills.

"Helps with the headache." She said sweetly. Lucas swallowed the pills and gulped down the water.

"Nice night?" He asked, curious on what brought about this kindness. Rachel Gatina personified evil. Well, at least to the people that she disliked. Which was 90 percent of the student population. Those people absolutely hated her, but then they still wanted her to like them. The remaining 10 percent of the students she was either flirty or civil to. Yes, even the girls. Rachel was no lesbian, but one of her secret fantasies was for someone to go lesbian because of her.

"Better than yours." She said with a wink.

"I have to go." Lucas said, smiling at her with his trademark stud smile.

"Bye baby." Rachel said, blowing a kiss at him.

…

Peyton collapsed onto her bed, closing her eyes. Last night was crazy. Chris Keller asked her to the prom in the sweetest way possible. She got extremely drunk and danced her way around the house. Her memory must have failed her, since she remembered going upstairs with Lucas. She remembered getting drunker on tequila. Then she slept with him. She opened her eyes in horror, sitting up. Having two boyfriends was the worst habit she has.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Chris greeted with a brown paper bag in his hand. He made his way to the bed and kissed Peyton demurely. "The hangover kit. Coffee, Advil, water, sunglasses and me." He grinned adorably as Peyton gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Chris." She said, wearing the sunglasses. She opened the cup and took a small sip of coffee. "You don't seem to have a hangover."

"I did. Seeing you made it all better." He replied. "So, you up for a day date?"

Peyton laughed. "A day date?" She pretended to think about it. She was starting to like Chris in an un-physical way. He was sweet, funny and original. "Sure! But I have to go take a shower first."

"A shower?" Chris repeated suggestively with a smirk. Peyton leaned in and kissed him deeply.

"A shower." She whispered in his ear.

…

It was Monday again. Lucas was making his way to his AP Literature class when he saw a memo saying that that his insanely boring music class borrowed the time. He had nothing against those dead composers; his teacher was just a little too much to take. Mr. Brians was a hard-ass, washed up rock star that was extremely good at his job. That was why Haley and her friend were here. He knew he could never learn the "art of the axe" (axe being the guitar according to Brians) so he ditched music class and went to the gym to practice his free throws. After a few shots, the door of the gym opened. He turned around, praying that it wasn't the coach.

"Oh." Lucas said, relieved and surprised at the same time. "Hi, Peyt."

"Avoiding Brians?" She asked, chuckling softly. "Chris attends that class."

"Right." He said, and an awkward silence ensued. "So."

"So." Peyton said.

"Why are you here?" Lucas asked, venturing a conversation.

"We don't have first period. Mr. Bennett borrowed it for some honors orientation." She said with a yawn. Peyton wasn't really conceited when it came to her grades. Her being smart was a fact of life. She was more arrogant about the fact that she was one half of the most desired people in the school. The other half was Lucas. Suddenly they heard a voice.

"Mr. Bennet wants me to catch felons, I'll catch felons!" Jim, the old school caretaker, said with an evil cackle. Lucas reminded him of that guy with a cat in the Harry Potter movies. The really ugly guy who despised students. Lucas grabbed Peyton and they made their way to the locker rooms. Laughing and panting at the same time, they locked the door.

"I'll catch felons!" Peyton said, imitating Jim's croaky voice. Lucas laughed.

"Jiminy Croaky." Lucas said, remembering the nickname the students gave him. They both sat down on the floor, their backs against the metal lockers. Lucas looked at Peyton, and she looked back. They were staring at each other for a few seconds before magnetism took over and they were pulled into a deep and passionate kiss.

"Stop." Peyton said, pulling away.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked. Peyton's face looked serious. Then she broke into a grin.

"Ever had that naked cheerleader fantasy?" She asked mischievously.

"I've heard about that." Lucas answered with a smirk.

"Well now you won't just hear about it." She replied, laughing.

"Really?" Lucas asked, cocking his eyebrow. Peyton kissed the side of his neck and made her way up his ear.

"Really." She whispered. "But before that, let's get things straight." She said, and looked at Lucas.

"We had sex the night of Rachel's party." Lucas said. "And you really can't have only one boyfriend."

"Shut up!" Peyton said, slapping him playfully. "And this doesn't have to be anything. Right?" She asked.

"Right." Lucas answered, after a moment. "You're hot," He said, slowly removing her top, "And I'm hot."

"I know, right?" She replied, laughing.

"There's really no need for conversation, is there?" He said, kissing the side of her face. Peyton replied by pulling him towards the showers. Somewhere back in the school, Haley excused herself to look for Lucas and Chris was late for music class because he looked for Peyton.

…

**Review! Yey!**


	5. These Games We Play

The illicit (well, not really, since they both are non-exclusive) rendezvous continued on in the days ahead. They would cut insignificant classes and miss lunch dates, neither of them remembering that they were supposed to woo Chris and Haley. Still, things worked out because they were, after all, Lucas and Peyton. They made up for their mishaps with thousand word essays and moonlit walks by the beach. The New Yorkers remained blissfully ignorant of the situation.

"Where have you been?" Chris asked Peyton as she carefully put her books on her locker. His voice caused her to jump a little. "I've been looking for you."

"Remedial Physics," Peyton lied smoothly, shutting her locker door closed and smiling at Chris sweetly.

"But you're getting A's in Physics." Chris wondered. The last time he'd been to Peyton's house, he saw piles of test papers littered on her desk, all with excellent marks. "How come you need remedial classes?"

Peyton wondered when this curiosity streak started. Was it because her hair was a little disheveled? "Yeah, but they're not A pluses. I need an A plus to raise my GPA from a 3.9 to a 4." This wasn't a total lie. Mrs. Reed, the councilor, told her that she needed to get an A plus in all of her subjects to raise her GPA to a perfect four. She would be the first one in Tree Hill history to have it all. Brains, beauty and popularity. Who wouldn't want that?

"But a 3.9 would qualify you for valedictorian." Chris whispered in her ear, planting soft kisses in her cheek. The kisses felt a little weird for Peyton. They were sort of mushy, as opposed to the nice, firm ones Lucas gave her.

"But I want to be better than the valedictorian." She pouted. Chris kissed her on the lips this time, congratulating himself for getting such a fantastic girl.

"And you will, baby." Chris said, hooking his arm on her waist. Just then, Lucas passed by, sharing a significant look with Peyton. Chris didn't seem to notice, though. He was too wound up burying his face in Peyton's hair. "Walk you to History?" He muffled.

Peyton looked at Chris, smiling. "Sure."

…

Lucas didn't know why suddenly he felt all grumpy and protective. That music freak was all over Peyton, and, she didn't seem to mind. She actually looked amused. He tried to shake it off, comforting himself with looking at Shelley, a girl he'd hooked up with sophomore year. She winked at him, and he admired the way her hips rocked when she walked.

"Hey there, stud." He heard someone say behind him.

Lucas turned around. "Hey there, beautiful." He greeted, tilting his head and smiling at Haley.

"So," she started, laughing to herself self-consciously. "Where were you?"

"Coach wanted to meet the team." Lucas lied. He put his arm around her, and they both started walking. If his lie won't work, at least his sex appeal will. "Something about a skit for prom."

"Really?" Haley asked.

"It's embarrassing. Don't tell anyone." Lucas downplayed himself often when it came to Haley. His ex-girlfriends would be surprised if they saw him now, and if he heard the way he spoke. He started quoting Shakespeare and Neruda, which he loved to read but was tacky when recited to a girl. He wore less hair products to avoid that scent Haley hated, the scent she'd told him about. It was actually kind of cute, her little quirks.

Just then Brooke Davis walked by, arm in arm with Nathan Scott, and so as to avoid any awkward confrontation, he kissed Haley on the lips. He heard hurried footsteps and an expletive, but after a few seconds they were gone. "What was that for?" Haley asked, giggling, her face still warm from blushing.

"Neither the heart cut by a piece of glass, in a wasteland of thorns, nor the atrocious waters seen in the corners, of certain houses, waters like eyelids and eyes, can, capture your waist in my hands, when my heart lifts its oaks, towards your unbreakable thread of snow." Lucas whispered in reply. He googled Sonata just this morning, and memorized it on his way to school, just in case Haley needed a little more romancing.

Haley smiled, caught in a daze. She was so lucky to have someone like Lucas.

…

Peyton made her way to her car, proud of the day's achievements. She'd actually gotten a perfect score on the pop quiz their Physics teacher gave, and she knew that would help raise her grade. She'd also made out with Lucas without Chris knowing, which gave her a little thrill. Suddenly she heard a shrill ring from her bag; someone was calling her cellular phone.

"Hello?" Peyton asked, fiddling with her keys.

"I have great news for you!" Said the voice on the other line. She immediately recognized it as Chris, because of that cute accent he had. She smiled.

"What's up?" Peyton started the engine and backed up the car, turning the volume down on the radio.

"I'll tell you over dinner." Chris said. "That little Italian joint at say, about eight?"

"Perfect." Peyton breathed into the phone. She loved this perk of dating, being wined and dined at fantastic restaurants. "I'll see you then."

After a ten-minute ride, she drove up a familiar driveway, parking her car with ease and gathering her things. She jogged up her house, unsure why she felt excited all of a sudden. She'd been on dates before, how could this one be any different? She dropped her bag and immediately ran to her closet to find something to wear. A few hours later she emerged from her bedroom, her hair nicely arranged and her clothes carefully picked out. It was then that she heard an engine shutting down. She opened the door to find Lucas, smiling cockily at her.

"Hot date?" He teased.

"Shut up." Peyton answered. He followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

"I guess you're leaving, then." Lucas said, acting as if he was disappointed. Peyton chewed her lip as she thought for a moment. She then grabbed Lucas, pulling him up the stairs, kissing him ferociously. He laughed, knowing she would be unable to resist.

"We have to make it quick," she whispered, removing his shirt. "Chris is expecting me tonight."

"Oh, don't worry." Lucas said, running his hands up and down her hair, "Haley will be there to keep him company."

They fell down on the bed. "You're coming too?"

"Apparently they have some news to tell." Lucas said in between kisses, removing all traces of clothing in the way.

"Won't it be suspicious if we were both late?" Peyton asked, and they suddenly stopped, looking at each other. It lasted for a second, but then they both broke into malicious grins, resuming what they had stopped. For a second, they forgot all about the dates.

…

"Where are they?" Haley asked impatiently, tapping her fingers on the table. She was already on her third iced tea, which she didn't mind, since Chris was paying for everything. Besides, she didn't know that they were spiked with rum, a little trick Chris played to amuse himself while waiting for Peyton.

"I tried Peyton's cell, she won't answer." Chris answered, biting off the top of a crisp breadstick.

"Crap." Haley muttered under her breath.

"I hear those two are like, best friends or something. Who makes friends with a guy?" Chris scoffed.

"Not all of us are assholes like you, Keller." Haley hiccupped, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"Maybe they're having a friends dishing session. I bet he's telling her how you suck so much in the sack." Chris laughed. "Suck in the sack, that's precious."

"For your information, Lucas—"

"Just arrived." Chris announced. He noticed Peyton's hair was kind of in disarray, and her clothes were a bit rumpled. Lucas' lips looked swollen. A thought passed him by, but he dismissed it.

"Weather sucks." Peyton said, as if that would explain her appearance. She sat down next to Chris, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry I'm late. The damned tutor won't let me leave until I perfected Ohm's law."

Chris smiled in understanding. "You look nice," he complimented. This girl was so into him. Peyton smiled and gave him another kiss on the cheek. On the way to the restaurant, she and Lucas were trying out excuses to give Chris and Haley. Lucas even suggested being mugged. That's when she thought that the whole idea of elaborate excuses was ridiculous. They'd just give plain ones, and make up for the rest with charm.

"Yeah, you know why I was late." Lucas said, reminding Haley of the so-called team presentation. He'd still have find a way to make that happen or explain to her that it won't, but right now, it seemed too good of an excuse to give up.

"You have something on your cheek," Haley noticed. It was a smudge of Peyton's lipstick, but Haley didn't seem to know that. She wiped it off with a napkin and smiled up at him.

"Embarrassing, I told you." Lucas whispered. Peyton shot him an icy glare.

"So, should we order?" Chris asked, waving his hand up in the air. The mustached waiter walked to their table, carrying a small notebook and a pen. "Can you also get us a bottle of your finest champagne?" Chris asked, and the waiter scribbled in affirmation.

"Show off," Haley muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. She was feeling quite dizzy now. Moments later the champagne arrived, much to the silent delight of Lucas. If he wouldn't get drunk, at least he'd get tipsy enough to morph into no-inhibitions, cheesy Lucas. As if he had inhibitions.

"So," Chris said, pouring the sizzling sweet liquid down four glasses, "the big news." He handed out the glasses. "As you all know, my school sent me to Tree Hill for the music program. Just this afternoon I got a call from a recording studio." He paused dramatically," And they wanted to sign me as a recording artist!"

Peyton squealed in exaggerated delight. "Oh my god, baby, that's wonderful!" She threw her hands around him while he was gloating in all of the glory and champagne.

"Congrats, man." Lucas said, shaking his hand. _Baby_?

"Well I knew about it Chris, and I already congratulated you." Haley said, slurring.

Peyton raised her champagne glass. "To Chris!" She said, beaming. Everyone raised their glasses as well for a toast. The food arrived and for a few minutes, they ate in silence. Chris tried to think of some conversation starter, smiling awkwardly at each of them. He preferred it if he was alone with Peyton, but it wasn't like he couldn't invite Haley. Secretly, he had her to thank. She handled all of the technical stuff of their visit.

"So, Peyton," he started, "how's your review going?"

"Oh, excellent." Peyton replied, avoiding getting into too much detail. It wasn't like she really had remedial classes. The awkward silence ensued. Lucas, bored, glanced at Peyton. She was bored as well, he could tell; she was too focused into eating her food. He coughed, and he finally had her attention. They looked at each other for a few seconds, doing the wordless communication they mastered in junior year. Lucas smiled mischievously, and Peyton glared at him playfully in response. The game was on.

Lucas started by putting his arm around Haley, who had just finished her chicken Alfredo. She smiled at him, in a trance because of all of the rum and champagne. Lucas glared at Peyton, daring her to make her move. Peyton cut off a small piece from her shrimp.

"Taste?" Peyton asked sweetly, dangling the fork in front of Chris.

"Cute." Chris replied, smiling. "But actually, I'm allergic to seafood." Lucas suppressed a chuckle. Peyton smiled politely back at Chris, eating the shrimp. She kicked Lucas in his shin, which made his face contort in pain.

"Dude, you okay?" Chris asked, noticing.

"Yeah, I just remembered something the coach asked me to do." Lucas lied. Glancing at Peyton once again, he whispered more Shakespeare verses in Haley's ear, which made her giggle in delight. Peyton rolled her eyes. She finished off the glass of champagne she had, and with all audacity, pulled Chris into a kiss.

"What was that for?" Chris asked, feeling extremely lucky. Their faces were still touching, and Peyton stole a quick kiss.

"For being a rock star." She whispered sultrily.

Lucas raised his hand and summoned the violinist. He slipped him a fifty-dollar bill; mouthing the song he wanted him to play. The first few notes sounded off, and Haley gave a swoon. She smiled at Lucas.

"Someday," Lucas sang, barely in tune, "when I'm awfully lone, when the world is cold, I will feel aglow just thinking of you," Peyton had to bite her lips to keep herself from laughing out loud. "And the way you look tonight." Haley looked positively thrilled.

"Oh, but you're lovely," Chris sang, in his raspy, rock star voice, sounding much, much better than Lucas. "With your smile so warm," he took Peyton's hand, "and your cheek so soft, there is nothing for me but to love you." Peyton smiled. She always did love being sung to. "And the way you look tonight."

The violinist played the bridge. "Just the way you look tonight." Haley sang, finishing off the last line. The people in the restaurant, who'd been watching the little scene, applauded at them.

"You can sing?" Chris asked, surprised. "I didn't know."

"You never asked." Haley replied, slightly embarrassed.

"That was wonderful, Hales." Lucas praised, kissing her in the forehead.

"Thank you for the song." Peyton said, which caused Chris to shake off his surprised thoughts. "You're going to make an excellent rock star."

Just then, Haley shot up from her seat, rushing to the ladies' room. Lucas followed her, acting like a good, concerned boyfriend. Chris followed them with his eyes. "I guess that's our cue to leave." He motioned for the bill. He then left the restaurant arm in arm with Peyton.

"Haley?" Lucas asked, peeking into the women's room. He heard a flush before heading inside, relieved to see that there was no one else around. Haley emerged from the stall, looking red.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, heading towards the sink to fix herself up. "I think I drank too much champagne. It didn't sit well with the chicken." She laughed.

Lucas smiled warmly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I feel much better." Haley grabbed tissue from the dispenser, and they went out of the ladies' room together, much to the confusion of one waiter who saw them. Chris and Peyton were not at the table, and the waiter was already cleaning up their plates. Lucas wondered where they'd gone.

"Come on," Lucas offered, putting his arm around her, "I'll take you back to your hotel."

…

Not surprisingly, Chris and Peyton ended up at the beach. They were walking silently, admiring the cool rush of the wind and the crashing sound of the waves. Chris stopped, taking Peyton's hand.

"Peyton, you are the most amazing girl I've ever met." Peyton giggled. She was used to declarations of love. But she was nervous to see how this will turn out, given the circumstances. "You're beautiful and you're smart. You're perfect." Peyton kept silent. No one had ever called her perfect before. "As you know, I'm headed out to New York soon. The recording label agreed to record my album there."

Instead of letting Chris' words sink in, Peyton thought back to the times she went with Lucas on the beach. She remembered bitching about bad dates, teasing and laughing at each other for ever getting into them. She remembered the serious conversations they had, regarding college and family, and the future that lay before them. Chris' voice snapped her back to reality.

"I guess what I'm saying is," he said, nervous, "since you got in NYU and all," He paused, looking into her eyes sincerely. "Will you come with me to New York?"

…

**A/N:**** Dun dun dun! An extra long chapter since I haven't updated for so long. A BIG thanks to all of you who reviewed. Hope you liked this chapter! Hmm. Looks like Peyton's going to have to make a tough decision! And more reviews, yey:)**


	6. Reality Kicks In

Prom week finally arrived, much to the excitement of the students of Tree Hill. Decorations and banners were already set in the gym, and committees were already promoting the event through skits and various activities. Lucas and Peyton's interactions were limited to brief make-out sessions on the janitor's closet, or the gym locker room. They were suddenly too busy with their own personal affairs.

After school, Peyton hung out with the design committee for the dance, being exceptionally skilled in the arts. This afternoon was no different. They were running behind schedule, so she offered to stay later to finish hanging the ribbons. Trying to keep her balance, Peyton stood atop a metal ladder while trying to loop a black and a silver ribbon. She shifted to get a better angle; but she lost her footing and slipped off the ladder. She closed her eyes and screamed, expecting contact with a hard, concrete floor, but all there was were a pair of strong arms to catch her. She opened her eyes and found them locked in Lucas' blue ones. Peyton tried to open her mouth to speak, but the shock of the fall still silenced her. She gave Lucas a small smile instead.

"You okay?" Lucas asked softly, a tone he only took with her. It was a tone of genuine concern. He carried her to the benches, setting her down gently.

"Yeah," Peyton laughed, berating herself for being such a klutz. "Thank you for, you know, being there."

"You're welcome." Lucas answered. After a brief silence, Peyton spoke again.

"We don't talk anymore." She sighed mournfully. "We used to talk."

"Yeah." Lucas answered wistfully. "But we have other people now, right?"

"As if that even stopped us before." Peyton remarked. "So, any dirt about that chick of yours?"

Lucas thought for a moment. Haley was kind and sweet. She was smart and beautiful. She was talented. She was unlike any girl he'd been with before. "No." He answered, new to the thought. "How about your manwhore?"

"Well, aside from being arrogant and self-assured," Peyton joked. "I guess," Peyton stopped, her thoughts trailing off.

"Yeah." Lucas said. Peyton moved closer to him, allowing herself to be engulfed in that friendly embrace that she hasn't had in so long.

"I miss us, Luke. When have we become so kept?" She murmured. Lucas put an arm around her shoulder.

"Maybe we're evolving, or something." Lucas mused. "Though monogamy isn't really a form of evolution."

"Not really," Peyton was used to their strange conversations. She smiled at the familiarity.

"Maybe we're achieving self-actualization." Peyton wondered. It was a little scary to think that, knowing that she was still too young to be so accomplished. She wanted more things to sort out.

"There you go again with your psychobabble." Lucas chuckled. "I told you Peyt, you really should major in Psych."

"That could work out. You know, I could win a Nobel Prize for medicine and you could win one for Literature. Then we'll gloat in our Nobel prize-winning glory and cash." Peyton ranted, sitting up, amused by the idea.

Lucas laughed. "I like that future."

Peyton stood up, sighing, pulling Lucas up with her. "I have to go finish this." She motioned towards the decorations.

"I could help," Lucas offered. "You know gravity hates you."

"No, that's okay." Peyton laughed. "I think I'll avoid the ladder tonight." She smiled amiably. "You go romance your Juliet."

"You sure?" Lucas said. "I don't see ass-boy here anywhere."

"Meeting with executives." Peyton explained. "I'll be fine, Luke. Thanks for the catch. And the talk." Lucas continued to stare at her disbelievingly. "I'll be okay, I swear!" Peyton tried pushing Lucas towards the door.

"Okay." He finally said, giving in. "See you tomorrow." Peyton smiled at him graciously, putting her arms around him for a hug. The moment they pulled back from the embrace, they were drawn into a kiss, a kiss so familiar yet so foreign to them. Lucas smiled before walking away, leaving Peyton reeling in from the sensation that clouded her senses the minute their lips touched. A feeling of guilt and regret brewed in the back of her mind as she resumed her duties.

…

Peyton took a final sip of her vanilla cappuccino and threw it expertly in the direction of the trashcan. A few summers ago, Lucas taught her basic basketball skills, which was why the cup landed in the direction she wanted it to. She shook her head, trying to dispel all thoughts of Lucas. That seemed to be the thing with her nowadays. She silently repeated Chris' name, hoping it will chase away the thoughts she had in her head.

"Peyton, wait up!"

Chris appeared by her side, as if conjured up. She smiled and continued on walking. She barely had time for anyone, except for lunch with Chris. She didn't even have time for Lucas anymore, though she was kind of glad she didn't. Prom preparations and studying kept her occupied. "Did you get the coffee?" Chris asked. "I told Haley to—"

"I got the coffee." She replied.

"Hey," Chris said, stopping. He took her hand to make her stop walking as well. "Is everything fine? I mean, about that night—"

"Chris, I'm really swamped with prom preparations." Peyton said calmly. "But don't worry about it, okay? And don't worry about me."

"You look nice today." He said, lightly touching her face. She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"You can walk me to Lit," Peyton said, smiling. She turned her heel, ready to resume walking, when she bumped into a familiar person. For a second she was in his arms, her small frame leaning on his well-built body, his perfume intoxicating her. She closed her eyes and opened them again.

"Luke," Peyton said awkwardly, pulling away. Lucas had a strange expression on his face.

"Peyton," Lucas said. He glanced down and saw that she was holding on to Chris Keller's hand tightly, as if it were life support. He felt a sudden rush of anger. "Uh, could we talk?"

"Not now." Peyton replied curtly. "This prom thing needs to be done." She avoided his gaze. He could read her like an open book, and he could tell that she was lying.

"We really—"

The bell suddenly went off, and students in the hallway shuffled hastily into their respective classes. Peyton, overcome with relief, gave Lucas an apologetic smile and pulled Chris with her to AP Literature, forgetting that he had history for the first subject.

…

Men in tuxedos and women in elaborately designed gowns walked in the school gym, looking around in awe. The designs were spectacular. Murmurs of praise could be heard everywhere. The DJ was playing cool tunes, something light to start the evening with. People were having fun, some of them were talking, some of them helping themselves to the buffet table. Peyton walked inside, wearing a simple white gown. She smiled when she saw that her work had paid off. She looked around, and some of her classmates greeted her and complimented her on the gym and on her appearance.

"You look beautiful." A deep voice greeted her.

She turned around and found herself once again locked in Lucas' deep gaze. He opened his mouth to speak when Chris suddenly appeared, linking his arm with Peyton's. She broke into a relaxed smile and kissed him on the cheek, oblivious to Lucas' looks. "Hey, man." Chris said, acknowledging his presence. "Haley's waiting for you by the punch bowl."

"Haley," Lucas said, still looking at Peyton. "Right." He said, diverting his attention to the buffet table. He saw Haley who waved at him timidly. He walked away.

"You look nice," Lucas said, smiling warmly. He offered his hand to her. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Haley answered, taking his hand.

The band started playing, and the overactive people poured out into the dance floor. Everyone was having a great time. A few people opted to stay in their seats, talking. People who went stag hung out by the buffet table, where one of the slick-looking guys surreptitiously poured a flask of gin into the pink-colored punch. Time passed by quickly. Lucas, who was having quite a good time with Haley despite himself, forced himself not to glance across the table, where Chris and Peyton were. It wasn't so hard, given that they were dancing most of the time. Haley said that she wasn't a good dancer, so after a few fast songs and more acts of persuasion, she finally agreed. The band was playing a soft ballad, and couples around them swayed from side to side, holding their respective partners.

"It sucks that I have to go back to New York in a few days." Haley whispered to Lucas.

"I know." Lucas answered.

"I mean, we've become such great," Haley paused, trying to find the right word, "friends." She finally said.

"Friends," Lucas repeated, "right."

"You could come visit me in New York," Haley suggested. "I mean, not just me. Chris too, and Peyton."

Lucas pulled away quickly and looked at Haley. "Peyton?" He asked.

"Yeah, didn't she tell you?" Haley said, looking at him strangely. "Chris asked her to go to New York."

Lucas walked away quickly, forgetting all about Haley. He heard her call for him, but he ignored it. He tried to look for Peyton among the many dancing couples, and finally, he recognized her familiar curls. Without asking, he pulled her from Chris and dragged her outside the gym.

"What the hell, Lucas?" Peyton demanded angrily.

"You," Lucas started, his voice trembling with rage. "I'm your best friend and you didn't tell me? You didn't even ask me! So what, now that you have that _guy_ you forget about us?"

"What are you talking about?" Peyton asked.

"New York!" Peyton's anger vanished and was replaced with guilt. She opened her mouth to speak, but Lucas interrupted her. "Do you love him? Is that it? Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

"It's nothing like that—"

"Tell me," Lucas continued, still angry, "what am I to you now? Am I still your best friend? Am I just one of your boy conquests? Or am I nothing to you now? Because it certainly seems that way,"

Carried away by the sudden return of her anger, Peyton slapped Lucas hard. "If you think that you're just a conquest to me, if you think you're nothing to me, then you don't really know me. Do you really think that after years of our friendship I'd screw you over because of a boy?"

"I don't know anymore, Peyton." Lucas answered.

Inside, the band stopped playing. The principal took the podium, ready to announce the awards. Peyton and Lucas could hear people murmuring and the principal talking. Peyton continued on glaring at Lucas, while angrily swatting a tear from her face. Lucas looked angry and confused, and kept on ruffling up his hair in frustration.

"What now?" Peyton asked silently, emotion still evident in her tone.

"The kiss," Lucas finally said, "at the gym. Tell me you felt something during that kiss."

"How is that kiss different from all of the other kisses that we had?" Peyton replied, stalling. She avoided this topic for three days.

"You know it's different." Lucas said firmly. Inside, the muffled voice of the principal just announced the name of prom queen. People cheered and screamed, but the voices eventually thinned out, as the prom queen was nowhere to be seen.

"Peyton Sawyer?" The principal called out. Peyton looked back at the gym door.

"Answer me, Peyton." Lucas demanded.

"I have to go," Peyton answered, walking slowly towards the door while glancing at Lucas. "I just—"

"Peyton," Lucas said pleadingly, his eyes softening up.

"I was never going to go to New York." Peyton said before heading inside once again. Lucas remained outside, deep in thought, his hands in his pockets. He kicked the pavement furiously when he heard the name of the prom king. Remembering Haley, he went inside. The lights were dimmed, and a slow, sentimental song was playing as the king and queen shared their first dance. He walked towards Haley, who looked confused and alone.

"Hey," Lucas greeted.

"Hey," Haley answered, concerned. "You okay?"

Lucas glanced at Chris and Peyton rocking steadily to the music. "Actually, I'm not. I'm gonna take off."

"Oh," Haley said, disappointed. "You want me to come with you?"

Lucas smiled at her warmly, touched by her genuine kindness. "The night's still young. You go and have fun."

"With who?" Haley pouted.

"With Chris," Lucas answered, "and Peyton." He sighed.

"That'll be a total cheesefest." Haley replied, rolling her eyes. She laughed softly. "You're going to see me before I go?"

"Of course." Lucas answered. "I'm sorry for being such a lousy date."

"That's okay. I had fun with you." Haley said, trying to be kind. He was kind of a lousy date, but, she thought, at least she could brag to her friends in New York that she managed to bag the hottest guy in North Carolina and go to the prom with him.

"Bye Hales." Lucas said, smiling, before kissing her softly in the forehead. He turned to go, glancing one last time at the dancing couple.

At the corner of her eye, Peyton saw Lucas kiss Haley goodbye and head out the door. She held on to Chris tighter, afraid of Lucas and the prospect of change that he brought with him. New York suddenly didn't seem so bad.

…

**A/N: The drama chapter! I wanted to let you guys see how Lucas and Peyton interacted without people watching them or gossiping about their every move. They may be beautiful, conceited assholes, but they're people too. THANK YOU for those who reviewed on my previous chapter. You guys are the BEST! Hope you liked this. Please REVIEW:D**


	7. Boy Gets Girl And Girl Gets Everything

A few days later, when prom fever had finally died down and everything went back to the way everything was. Lucas walked along the hallway, brooding to himself, as he was, once again, oblivious to the stares of his fellow schoolmates. Lucas hadn't seen Peyton all day, which he was partly worried and partly thankful for. For the past few days, all he did was evade her, joining the company of his jock friends and sometimes, Haley.

"Babe." Rachel said, catching up to him and clutching his arm. Some of the girls who were watching rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"Rachel." Lucas acknowledged, glancing at her.

Rachel pouted. "What's wrong?"

"Why are you so quick to think that something's wrong?" Lucas asked, suspicious that Rachel had maybe been lurking behind a bush somewhere during prom night and happened to see the little scene between him and Peyton.

"Because you're not dragging me to an empty janitor's closet." Rachel stated. Today she was wearing a flimsy white mini-skirt with a flimsy black sleeveless top, and the tattoo of the sun, moon and the stars was seen on her shoulder blade. Any person in their right mind would drag her to an empty room.

"I'm not always horny." Lucas answered.

"Bullshit." Rachel said, and pulled him into an empty classroom.

Lucas protested. "Rachel—"

"Shut up." She said, sitting down cross-legged on one of the tables. "Now you could tell me what's wrong, or I could guess loudly. That way people in the hall would hear us."

"Why would I want to tell you what's wrong?" Lucas asked, his brow furrowing.

"Because even if I repeat everything you say, they won't believe me. You don't really trust anyone," Rachel stated. "I mean, other than Peyton—" Rachel smiled, and inspected Lucas. He was still gorgeous, still dressed impeccably, still had that stance of a conceited jock, but the gleam in his blue eyes was gone. "Luke, where's Peyton?"

"What?" Lucas said in alarm, looking up. "How should, I mean, probably with Chris Keller or something." Rachel noted that it was funny how Lucas' voice turned from panicked, to cool then to venomous as he said Chris Keller's name. Rachel smiled victoriously.

"You are so transparent." Rachel scoffed. Lucas looked at her. "I wasn't really sure, but ever since freshman year, I knew."

"Knew what?" Lucas said, frowning.

"You know what I'm talking about." Rachel said cryptically. "The other people just chose to be blind to it because they wanted you."

"And you don't want me?" Lucas asked, his eyebrow cocking.

"I could have you anytime, Lucas." Rachel said, laughing arrogantly. "But apparently, so could Peyton."

"Peyton and I—"

"Idiot. Of course not in that way." Rachel said. "But maybe in that way too." She said with a wink.

Lucas stood there, speechless. He couldn't figure out how Rachel knew, or how Rachel processed it. Rachel was, well, Rachel, a good friend, occasional girlfriend and party planner extraordinaire. He sighed.

"Careful, lover boy. That Chris Keller's a heartbreaker. He's actually you, only more talented, less hot and from New York." Rachel stood up. Lucas looked impressed at her guesses. "I may be a slut, but I'm a smart slut." She walked over to Lucas and leaned over his ear. "I just got into Harvard." She whispered, smiling.

…

Peyton paced around her room, glancing nervously at the plane ticket atop her bed.

_Peyton kissed Chris furiously as she led him towards her bedroom. There was a trail of clothes behind them, a tuxedo jacket, corsages and a prom dress strewed carelessly across the floor. Peyton tried to shut every thought out from her mind, she tried not to think, and she tried to concentrate on one thing: Chris. But her mind kept on revisiting the conversation she had with Lucas outside and the feeling of doubt and comfort she had from it. She pushed Chris away, who was now staring at her wide-eyed, confused._

"_Something wrong?" He asked softly. _

"_No, nothing's wrong." Peyton answered distractedly. Chris smiled warmly and kissed her again, but she pulled away. _

"_I just want this to be special, you know?" Peyton lied, marveling at how cheesy she sounded. She just couldn't do anything without Lucas showing up in her head, and she couldn't shake the annoying pang of guilt she felt every time she kissed him. _

"_It's prom night." Chris said, trying to be understanding. "It's special."_

_Peyton sighed. "I just," she said, fiddling with the comforter, "I changed my mind. I want to go to New York with you."_

_Chris looked delighted. "Really?"_

"_Really." Peyton answered, looking happy. A part of her wanted to take back what she said, yet another part of her agreed with her completely. "I just need to get my plane ticket."_

"_That's no problem." Chris said, standing up. He was disappointed that Peyton refused to have sex with him, but really happy that she agreed to go to New York. He really liked her, and it's not like she would be able to resist him. He smiled as he took comfort from that thought. He picked up his pants, wearing them. "We can go to the airport right now."_

A framed picture of her and Lucas just stood beside her bed. It was from last summer, she thoughtfully remembered, and they looked happy and carefree. She recalled how she bailed on her boyfriend Caleb, who just invited her to spend the summer in St. Barts, and her other boyfriend Steven, who wanted to bring her to his beach house in California. She and Lucas, drunk on tequila, bought two plane tickets to Cabo, San Lucas, after watching and laughing at _Laguna Beach_ reruns on MTV.

She pressed on her answering machine for the fifteenth time that day, expecting a message from him. He had been avoiding her for the past few days, and she would be lying if she said that she didn't avoid him as well. It was just so weird and so awkward, and she hated weird and awkward confrontations, even if it is with her best friend. Or boyfriend? Or something, she wasn't really sure what to call him now.

She turned her attention back to the plane ticket. Berating herself for being so indecisive, she grabbed her luggage from the closet and started to pack.

…

Lucas continued on brooding on the circumstances, which he knew was not appropriate now that he was with Haley. She was laughing and talking animatedly about her friends and her experiences in New York, trying to be cheerful since in a few hours, they would be saying their goodbyes.

"Oh, and I remember last Tuesday, me and Chris and Peyton were buying some souvenir things for New York, when Chris slammed into a wall." Haley said, laughing. "It was so weird, his face was so red, and Peyton couldn't decide if she was worried or amused. Good luck taking care of _that _when she's in New York."

"Oh." Lucas said, bothered. "She's still going?"

"Yeah. It's pretty cute, actually." Haley said, oblivious to Lucas' reactions. "They act like an old-young married couple. The people in school (which was Tree Hill high, she was just accustomed to saying that it was her school) said that they never saw Peyton like this with a guy. Well, except for you, since you guys are like, best friends. And she's only with one guy, too, not like her usual two boyfriends." Haley noticed Lucas' reaction. "I'm sorry, am I gossiping? It's bad, I'm sorry, but I'm really happy for their happiness, you know?"

"No, uh, it's not." Lucas answered, smiling lightly, on the verge of a realization. "She's really happy with him?"

"Yeah," Haley said, taking a sip of her iced coffee, "she is."

Lucas nodded, gazing at the window and the horizon. Haley continued on talking. He never noticed that her being with Chris was different. He was selfish, he knew, to keep her for himself. He was selfish, he always was, but now he won't be anymore.

…

Lucas decided that the only way to act unselfishly and to mend their broken friendship was to say goodbye properly. Gathering all of his courage, he gave Peyton a visit. When he peered inside her room, he saw that she was sitting on her bed beside a plane ticket, her half-packed luggage on the floor, and a sad, RnB ballad playing on her computer, which was very unlike her. The state of her things mirrored her state of mind; undecided, confused, and afraid.

"Peyton?" Lucas said, stepping into her room.

"Lucas." Peyton said, looking up.

"Listen," Lucas started, walking towards the bed, "I—"

"I can't do it, I can't leave." Peyton interrupted, her voice breaking. "I am so afraid of changing everything. When I was with Chris, I knew that it was something different, that maybe I can stay with just one guy. But that changed everything, so I ran to you. But when I was with you, it was," Peyton moved to the edge of the bed, her hands holding on to the comforter, "I knew it changed our friendship and my feelings for you, so I ran away from that too. And now I'm going to New York but I don't want to. I wasn't afraid of college because I'd be going with you. But now, with the change, I just, I don't know. And I miss us, Luke. I miss us as friends, not as whatever you call us now. I don't know what to do anymore, I'm just—"

Lucas leaned down and gave her a kiss, an action he didn't really think of. He was glad that she was having doubts, but he was so upset seeing her this broken. He wanted so much to make her smile again, he wanted to make everything better for her, that he didn't really think anymore and just acted on his feelings. When he pulled away, she looked at him, locked in the gaze of his blue eyes.

"Please don't leave." Lucas said softly. "I won't be able to handle it. I love you, and I'm selfish, but I need you here with me."

Peyton smiled and leaned in for another kiss. Her cell phone was ringing in the far corner of the room, but she chose to ignore it. "This is going on my cheesy list." Peyton said, her face still leaning on Lucas' face, "I love you too, Luke."

…

"So, what did Chris Keller say when you told him that you weren't leaving?" Lucas asked as he took a bite of pancake. It was their early morning, cut-school-to-eat-breakfast ritual.

"Didn't say anything, really. Just an 'oh' and he walked away." Peyton answered, sipping on glass of orange juice. "Honestly, I think he expected it."

"Why? He thought he was no match for hunkier, more talented me?" Lucas asked smugly. Peyton threw a crisp string of bacon at him and stood up.

"I have a meeting with the principal." Peyton said, straightening her shirt.

"What about?" Lucas asked, still eating.

Peyton couldn't hide her satisfied grin. "Being valedictorian."

"Shut up," Lucas said, smiling.

"Now you better drive me or he might take that away for cutting classes with you." Peyton said, kicking his chair. He stood up and pocketed his car keys, leaving a bunch of bills on the table. He hooked Peyton's waist with his hands and gave her a deep kiss.

"I'm proud of you, girlfriend." He said, as they walked out of the restaurant.

"I know you are, boyfriend." Peyton replied, laughing.

They walked down the street, oblivious to the stares of a group of lowerclassmen late for school. The news that Peyton dumped Chris for Lucas spread like wildfire after they were seen kissing and holding hands. Trish, one of the girls who was totally in love with Lucas, broke into sobs. Her friend Jessica comforted her, rolling her eyes. She thought that it was about time that the two most beautiful and perfect people in the school got together.

…

**A/N:**** Tada! Hope you liked the ending. Thank you so much to my wonderful reviewers, you guys are the super duper best! **


End file.
